Before I got into the business of selling “nothing,” I was a waiter in a restaurant in New York City.

It was your typical New York City restaurant. Small, busy, cramped, exciting…

And, as a waiter, almost impossible to move around. Seriously, I spent more time trying to get from my tables to the bar and back to my tables, then I did taking orders and delivering food.

It was cray!

But then I learned a secret. I learned how-to get through the crowds in record time. I learned a trick that allowed me to part the busy restaurant like I would part my hair…if I had any.

I learned this trick from an old Jamaican guy named “Jojo.”

Jojo ran the coffee bar at the restaurant. When somebody ordered a Cappuccino or espresso, or any other fancy coffee drink, it was his job to make it.

And Jojo’s coffee station was right next to the bar. On a Saturday night, he may as well have been working in the middle of the mosh pit at a Marilyn Manson concert. It was jammed. But Jojo had a secret phrase that always got him where he needed to go…

“Hey Mon! Check dis out!”

I know, doesn’t seem all that special and exciting. But imagine the scene. You have hundreds of people crammed into a small space. Some of them are trying to get to the bar. Others are just trying to get to the bathroom. What are all those people saying to each other?

“Excuse me!”

There were so many people saying “excuse me” it became background noise. You just started to ignore it. Think about it, if everyone is saying the same thing it loses power. You could say “excuse me” all day long in that restaurant…wasn’t nobody gonna move out of your way.

Jojo knew this. So he didn’t say “excuse me.” He said…

“Hey Mon! Check dis out!”

That was different, that got people’s attention. When somebody says, “Hey Mon! Check dis out!” you turn and take notice. You want to see what they are talking about. You want to “check out” whatever cool thing they want to show you.

Turns out the cool thing was just an old Jamaican guy with a tray full of Cappuccinos.

But it worked.

Jojo always got where he was going because he knew how-to get people’s attention.

In a world where everyone is selling something, I’m selling ‘nothing.’ And, I’m getting quite a bit of attention.